Who Watches the Chinese Watchers?
Udumbara
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Today, there are better ways to keep an eye—the word “panopticon” derives from the Greek phrase “all-seeing”—on a given population. Here, we are speaking of the internet and social media. It is not hard for companies that provide these services, allegedly for “free,” to capture their clients’ browsing habits, contact lists, posts, and political views. These can be used somewhat innocuously to target advertising and more nefariously to identify individuals whom the state feels are running afoul of what the governing powers are trying to achieve within their societies.
A state with all-seeing power can of course not just keep tabs on its people, but locate those seen as a “problem.” Dissidents or just those with different opinions can also be harassed, threatened, arrested, or even harmed or killed by those in charge. There are far too many examples of such in recent years.
Not surprisingly, autocratic states are keen to acquire and use these tools. After all, they brook no dissent, no opposition, nobody who is critical of their rule. In this light, technology that can monitor populations, seeking those who stand out for their views and funnelling their personal information to state security services would be a boon.
And the Chinese regime is all too willing to help them acquire such technology.
Not wanting to keep this wonderful plan to itself, the PRC has been offering police training and surveillance technology to other countries to help ensure their “internal stability.” Among the recipients are Serbia, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, and Pakistan, not exactly a group of free democratic republics. Sure, this tech can help deter crime, but it can also be effective in controlling the population and maintaining power indefinitely.
As The Economist noted: “For governments leaning towards authoritarianism, though, China is an enabler—and an inspiration.” China, of course, does not ask for anything in return and does not encumber these states with awkward demands that human rights must be protected.
It seems that this move is yet one more way in which the regime in Beijing is seeking to spread influence on a global scale. As Xi has stated on more that one occasion, he wants China to be the dominant player on the planet by 2049, and he is not concerned with abiding by any rules (economic fair play, international standards on rights, and so on) to get there. If he can sell his model to other nations with similar disregard to what is just, he not only succeeds in expanding China’s footprint worldwide, but gains allies that will most likely not raise their voices against the regime’s violation of its own population’s rights and privileges. There are reports, for instance, that recipients are expected to support the PRC’s territorial claims over Taiwan and other territories (such as reefs and atolls in the South China Sea, which China sees as its own internal waters).
What these clients fail to see, however, is that their agreement to use Chinese technology comes with strings attached. Beijing will own the data collected by these tools and can use it to its own benefit. Maybe buyers see this as a small price to pay for the ability to dominate and cow their own people.
It is difficult to grasp how any country can deal with Beijing on just about anything, given its history of duplicity. One would think that a cursory understanding of recent history would make nations reconsider their relationships with the PRC. Then again, when it comes to autocracies, like attracts like, I guess.
